Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1788 - 1282: Prepecha Lake District, the Most Prosperous Place in the World

A group of samurai from the Kingdom, clad in leather armor, were running along the county road of the Capital Region. The leading man had feathers on his back and wore a belt with letters, a messenger from the Clouds.

Behind the messenger was a vast expanse of Milpa farmlands. In the fields, corn stalks as high as two palms, bean vines winding as thin as a thumbnail, and pumpkin leaves half a palm in size were growing. Fresh sprouts had just emerged, the rainy season had arrived, and all it required was watering once in the evening. At this time, in the morning, tens of thousands of villagers and agricultural slaves were busy in the fields. They weeded out the sprouting weeds, watered the fields with decomposed village manure, and even carefully and piously buried finely ground 'stone fertilizer.'

"May the Chief Divine protect us! May there be no pests, no harms, no floods, no disasters! May the pumpkins grow wildly, and the corn be bountiful!..."

The villagers' prayers reached the prosperous Great Lake. Hundreds of canoes and twin-hulled boats traversed the lake, transporting rural goods and bringing back city products. Two newly built dikes enclosed a southern freshwater lake surface, where small patrol boats of samurai could be seen on the water.

On the lake enclosed by the white dikes, there were already over a hundred acres of Mexica Chinampa floating fields, partitioned into blocks. These floating fields were bordered by wooden fences, and densely planted with peppers, vegetables, spices, herbs, and sacred cocoa trees. On the outer edges, more floating fields had already installed supporting wooden stakes, waiting to be further constructed after the busy farming season.

These high-yield Chinampa have costly construction expenses and need auxiliary water facilities. But once completed, they eliminate concerns about drought and flood, significantly reducing irrigation labor costs, enabling multiple annual harvests. They are the very foundation the Royal Family and nobility highly regard, the most important hereditary lands! In fact, when 'stone fertilizer' and 'manure' are sufficiently supplied, the output of these floating fields can even rival the most fertile upper fields of Jiangnan!

"What a prosperous Prepecha Lake District! Its thriving scenes can be compared to those of the Texcoco Lake District of the Alliance, some areas even surpass it!..."

The messenger halted, gazing around with a low sigh. From the orderly farming arrangements, the faintly visible iron farm tools, the gray bird guano rock cherished by farmers, the numerous water channels and ponds connected to rivers, and the Chinampa floating fields established after diking the lake... It was clear that this, right at the fertile fields of the Prepecha Lake District in the Capital Region, was the most developed and prosperous agricultural productivity in the entire American world!

"A wide stone road has appeared... the Qinchongcan Capital City, we have finally reached it!..."

The county road of tri-layered soil turned into a stone road in the city outskirts. Soon after, it was the ancient yet fast-developing Qinchongcan Capital City. This large city built along the lake had become the most flourishing political and economic center in the western world. The city's population had not only returned to the height of Tarasco with nearly a hundred thousand but was also steadily growing!

The continuous rows of expanding shanties and the agricultural product trade markets witnessed this prosperous growth...

"May the Chief Divine bless us! This attire, this wooden plaque... it's the king's messenger!..."

"Escort enter the city!..."

"Make way!"

Clearing the path under the escort of samurai, the messenger dashed into the Capital City, passing through the increasingly prosperous grand marketplace in the city. Unlike the numerous outdoor markets outside the city, this was the trading center for bulk goods and expensive specialties, satisfying the living needs of samurai and nobility!

In the grand marketplace, the continuous stone and wooden houses were broad and towering, noblemen in Chinese clothes strode with servants, and goods from all directions converged together. Copperware, gemstones, and black pottery were local specialties of the Capital Region. Silverware, bone artifacts, and leather were transported from the northern wilderness. Feathers, Chinese clothes, herbs, and dyes mostly came from the southern mountain forests. As for cotton cloth, well salt, stone tools, and woodware, every state produced them. However, the heavily taxed and strictly limited Divine Smoke could only be transported from the distant and mysterious Eastern Maya.

Next to the Divine Smoke, there were honey, cinnabar, and turquoise from the Maya. Especially the renowned Maya turquoise, crystal clear, large and bright, was highly esteemed by the kingdom's nobility!

"Tsk tsk! The turquoise brought by the Maya has indeed become more and better these past two years!..."

"Indeed! Marshal Bertade fought well, Black Wolf General sieged city after city... Who knows how many spoils of war were brought back, how many samurai were promoted to nobility, and how much wealth they amassed!..."

"May the Chief Divine bless us! Make way, make way!… All of these Maya turquoise, our Utadori Quetzalcoatl family wants them all!..."

Amid the crowd's astonished gaze, a young noble of the Kingdom, accompanied by several tall servants carrying burlap sacks, hurriedly pushed through the crowd and walked up. He first pointed at the crates of turquoise, then gestured with his hand. Those servants with wilderness faces put down the sacks, untied them, and poured them on the ground. Whooshing sand, silver ingots, copper ores, and furs piled into small heaps directly. The young noble then pointed at the nearby cinnabar, taking out two pure and translucent jadeite from the Western Sea Coast, adding.

"These cinnabars… I'll take however much there is! If these few sacks of goods aren't enough, these two top-quality jadeite will be kept here first! When the trade fleet returning from the north comes back, no matter how much is owed, I'll add thirty percent to compensate you!…"

"Wow! Who's family is this?! So extravagant..."

"Didn't he say, it's the Utadori family."

"Utadori family?..."

"It's the Utadori family that pioneered the northern sea route and amassed great wealth!... He's Quetowewe, and he has an elder brother, Utadori Quetzal, who is a third-level main priest in a newly taught district on the northern wilderness! That district not only has gold mines and copper mines but also silver from wilderness trade and jadeite from farther north..."

"Oh, Chief Divine! The wealth of the northern sea route! If I were ten years younger, I'd surely head north with the Kingdom Fleet too..."

Amid everyone's discussion, another young noble of the Kingdom emerged. He was the second son of Capital Army Commander Olosh, Olobo. He looked at his familiar old friend with doubt and asked in a deep voice.

"Is it you? Little Utadori? Why did you suddenly buy so much turquoise and cinnabar?... Did your father die?..."

"Olobo, is it you?..."

Quetowewe turned his head and was both surprised and delighted. He stepped forward and punched his old friend's chest with a fist. The two were about the same age, classmates who graduated from Divine Power University together, and friends with similar interests. This kind of classmate relationship transcended the ordinary noble circles, becoming another unique bond within the kingdom.

"Olobo, you're right, my father is dead! My old man drank cocoa yesterday, then some honey-brewed fruit wine, inhaled a lot of divine smoke, sang and danced praying to the divine... and then this morning, I found he had been taken by the God of Death!..."

Speaking of his father's death, Quetowewe showed a slight sadness, but not much.

The reason for this is, firstly, his father was old and frail, and long had plans. This year, he intended to find a good time to ascend voluntarily during the god's rites, as was the custom of many Nava nobility, who preferred not to die in bed ingloriously. Secondly, when his father died, he had a smile, and the priests who saw him said he had awoken in the Red Kingdom, living a good life!...

So now, the most important thing is not to grieve but to quickly prepare the burial turquoise and the cinnabar offerings for the Red Kingdom according to highland traditions! The turquoise enhances the soul and protects divinity, elevating his father's status in the Divine Kingdom. The red cinnabar is a hard currency in the Red Kingdom, usable as money... 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

As for the accompanying slaves, the kingdom strictly prohibits live burials as per the law given by His Majesty. He could only covertly bury a few of his father's old slaves at night. In Quetowewe's view, these elders couldn't do farm work even if returned to the village, and no one had extra food to feed them, so they wouldn't live long. The level of social productivity always determines the moral standard. Demanding morals above productivity is just a dreamy illusion...

"Ah! Old Utadori died during a deity's rite? That's wonderful! Truly an auspicious way to die!..."

"Indeed! Truly a blessing from the Chief Divine!..."

"Congratulations! Taken by the Chief Divine to the Red Kingdom, enjoying peace and joy forever!..."

Hearing this, Olosh's face showed admiration, and the surrounding nobles sincerely congratulated him, with the elderly even somewhat envious. The Navajo Tribes treat life lightly and death heavily, valuing divine omens, similar to the Yin Dynasty.

"Little Utadori, should this turquoise fill the tomb bottom, will it be enough? Otherwise, there's also the kingdom's caravan over there, selling Lake Gem... including emerald..."

"Buy some more! Seeing how my dear mother drinks and smokes, she might plan to join my father... I need to prepare a family mausoleum and then offer on the altar... But how could the lake's emerald compare to Mayan turquoise? Look at the jade color, the rain-moist gloss, this is the genuine, legendary rainforest turquoise! What we produce in the lake… is not as good, not sufficient!"

At this, the two slightly lowered their voices, exchanging a glance, somewhat understanding each other. The Divine Revelation Places outside the capital always ship out batches of Lake Gems... over time, how could it be hidden from the local noble ground-rooted figures? Most people had some wind of it and guessed, except the nobles beyond the capital didn't know...

So, these Lake Gems can be used at home for appearances to deceive people. But now, concerning the soul's afterlife treatment, to be buried in a tomb, how could one deceive the divine? One still needs the best Mayan turquoise!

Strangely, in the past two years, the previously scarce Mayan turquoise has become more numerous and cheaper. It's said by far-flying merchants that ships of turquoise are shipped back from the Totonac Coast, from the eastern expedition's frontline. It's hard to imagine, the legendary Maya Tribes are so affluent, possessing so much turquoise!

And these Maya trade caravans selling turquoise earn excessive profits, not only escorted by Seaside Alliance's warriors but also backed by the East Sea Marshal's office. The main cargo of turquoise is said to be shipped to the Mexica Alliance, sold to the alliance's great nobles, exchanged for supplies supporting the eastern expedition...

"Alas! With His Majesty absent, the kingdom's Maya spoils of war are sent to the alliance for sale!..."

"Indeed! Really benefits those great nobles from the alliance! They can even rest on Mayan turquoise after death!..."

"Don't worry, wait for the next batch of Maya caravans; there will still be turquoise..."

The discussions of the capital's nobles gradually faded as they moved away from the capital's market, softening further. Meanwhile, "clang" bashing hammer sounds and "boom" clashing sounds echoed ahead, growing louder.

"Chief Divine bless! It's His Majesty's Envoy!"

"Quick! Notify Director Talaya!"

"The Craftsman Camp is huge, where is the director?"

"Let me think... should be in the innermost armor area! Recently, a new armor was made..."

"Oh! I remember... it's that iron armor... lead the envoy slowly; I'll go inform!..."

The voice of a samurai rang out, and the gate of the craftsman camp opened. The messenger from the Cloud rushed inside, and a bustling scene of production was suddenly before them.